Hutchins officials push back on rumors of immigration detention center near I-45

After rumors started swirling that a massive building off I-45 near I-20 could become an immigration detention center, Hutchins resident Paul James started digging and documenting what he found on social media. 

"Finding out who is the realty company that's involved, who is the owner of the current property, and whether or not there is such a thing going on," he said. 

Monday night, he brought his concerns to the City Council meeting, where Mayor Mario Vasquez addressed residents directly. 

"I know we're all here and you have a lot of questions," he said.

Vasquez said the city has not been contacted by the federal government. There have been no applications, building permits, or certificates of occupancy filed. 

"So in other words, we haven't had no communication with nobody," he said. 

Last week, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CBS News Texas that while the agency is actively working to expand detention space nationwide, there are no new detention centers to announce at this time. 

During the meeting, Vasquez directed everyone's attention to a new billboard campaign: "A city on the rise."

"We're building a community here, and this doesn't match what we're trying to do here, so if you think that anybody up here is on board with it, you're in the wrong building," he said. 

Several residents told him that's exactly what they wanted to hear. 

"It's crazy what's going on in this world," one resident said. "I got four kids, I don't want my kids having to go to school and deal with this in our city." 

The mayor said that when the city does receive new information, the citizens will be the first to know. 

He also suggested hosting a town hall to provide updates and reminded residents that the city council will meet with the city attorney on Wednesday to further discuss the building.